Tesselaar's Tulip Festival

I am a graphic designer and photographer living in Melbourne, I love to explore in my own back yard, I love write and photograph about my adventures and places I visit. For more of my photos visit my blog https://juliepowell2014.wordpress.com/

Event: 10/09/2015 - 06/10/2015

Tiptoe through the tulips

Every year it happens, Spring arrives and it's time for the Tulip Festival. The Festival is only on for one month every year and this is an iconic Melbourne institution which has been running every year since 1954.

There are fields of Tulips in every colour, shape and size you could think of and then more. There is more than just tulips though, every week they have a slightly different festival, celebrating unique cultures, Dutch Weekend, Turkish and Irish Weekend as well, plus a Jazz and Wine and a Children's Weekend. There are market stalls, clog, clothing, food (so much food!), folk dancing, artwork, wood crafts, costumes, music. And of course you can buy tulips; cut ones, bulbs, pre planted bulbs, pots full of them, even hand made wooden ones.

Many people come loaded with picnic baskets and lounge around on the extensive lawns amid the explosion of colour, listening to music and watch the festivities unfold. Others wander through the seemingly endless offering of food from all over the world to sample and buy.

They have over 500,000 tulips planted and 120 different varieties available to view in every shade of colour you could possibly think of, as well as varying sizes and shapes with long rows of them amongst fields of green. Row after row of colour. Did you know that tulips originated in Turkey? Apparently they were only available in Brown! It was the Dutch who created the colours and varieties we have today.